1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to improved mail communications and more particularly to techniques that combine surface mail delivery and an internet link
2. Background Art
There are several problems that exist in present paper mail handling system. The problems include the expensive manpower needed for distribution of paper mail at sorting/delivering locations the handle handwritten/typed mail addresses. Existing automatic means for identification of the addresses (e.g. automatic handwriting recognition) are unsatisfactory. Another problem is that the delivering of paper mail letters can be relatively slow, especially if letters are sent to remote places. The volume of paper mail undergoes several peaks at different times of the year such as at holidays. During those peaks the above-mentioned problems become especially acute. On the other hand, internet users enjoy a fast and easy access and communication to other internet users. However, this internet interaction suffers from the deficiency that the internet user cannot deliver/receive internet messages from people who have no internet facilities.